King of the Norvins

Actually it’s a Norvinati if you count those Öhlins forks from a Ducati 888. Meet the team with an admirable fondness for chopping up classic motorcycles…

As motorcycle mash-ups go, this has to be one of the most beautiful. It’s wildly exotic too, using a genuine Norton Featherbed frame and the engine from a Vincent Rapide.

‘We’ve built Triumphs, Nortons, Guzzis, Laverdas, Ducatis and Japanese, but this time we wanted to build the nicest cafe racer ever,’ Gianluca Tiepolo, boss of Stile Italiano in Pordenone, Italy, tells Bike. ‘We wanted perfect curves that were classic but different, crazy attention to detail and quality everything. So we used Japanese race drum brakes because the quality is top, and then fitted upsidedown Öhlins forks [from a Ducati 888 race bike] to break the rules of the classic style.’

The engine is, unsurprisingly, not stock. The legendary 998cc air-cooled V-twin has been bored out to 1140cc, there are forged pistons and twin-spark cylinder heads. Gianluca is cagey about where exactly he got the motor from, saying that he definitely didn’t destroy a Vincent to get it: ‘It was in a box in our warehouse.’ Fair enough.

The bike has a five-speed gearbox made by TT, and the clutch is a one-off. ‘It is a fantastic bike to ride,’ says Gianluca. ‘The torque from the 1140cc conversion is amazing and the modern gearbox makes it much more enjoyable than the standard bike’s. Plus the front suspension makes a big difference to the handling.’

When it comes to blending manufacturers, Gianluca has form. ‘We built another Norvin eight years ago, and have made four Hartons [Harley engine in Norton frame].

We are old school in the way we design and build. When the engine was in the frame with wheels attached, I took a picture, printed it out and started from there, drawing with a pencil. It took us ages to get the perfect proportions for the one-piece bodywork. We handmade it in alloy and started it four times before we were satisfied.’

The bike is now for sale: ‘If someone wants to park the best Norvin ever in his, or her, bedroom/lounge you can do it for €75k (£68,000).’

‘We wanted perfect curves that were classic but different’